Journalists and academics bear the brunt of the massive crackdown on freedom of expression in Turkey. Scores of them are currently subject to criminal investigations or behind bars. This website is dedicated to tracking the legal process against them.

Information on this website is compiled by Punto24 (Platform for Independent Journalism) from open sources.

Journalists in State of Emergency — 21

On Oct. 6, Evrensel reporter Cemil Uğur, who was previously taken into custody and released, was put under arrest on charges of membership in a terrorist organization and making propaganda on behalf of a terrorist organization.

He and another Evrensel reporter, Halil İbrahim Polat were detained on Aug. 23 and held in police custody for 16 days before they were released.

Uğur was arrested after a prosecutor filed an objection to his release.

October 6 was the 79th of Turkey’s post-coup State of Emergency rule. Uğur’s arrest brings the number of imprisoned journalists in Turkey to 126. This figure does not include journalists who are in police custody waiting to be arraigned.

Uğur’s arrest comes shortly after 13 television networks and 11 radio stations were shut down by the government following prime ministry orders from Sept. 29 and 30 for their closure. A Kurdish-language television for children was among the networks ordered closed. The decrees were followed by raids on the targeted stations.

On Oct. 4, Hayatın Sesi, TV 10, İMC TV and Özgür Radyo officers were raided by police and the stations were sealed shut.

The raids come after a Prime Ministry decree that ordered 13 television stations and 11 radio stations closed under a Cabinet Decree which was issued in July under State of Emergency regulations put in place following the July 15 coup attempt.

Seventeen people were detained during the police raid on Özgür Radyo. The detainees, which included Özgür Radyo employees, journalists from other news agencies and one Özgür Radyo listener, were let go after a police interrogation.

Social media posts alleged police used violence during the raids. Footage released by Etkin Haber Ajansı (ETHA) on YouTube showed a police officer dragging a person the agency says is an Özgür Radyo journalist by her hair against the concrete ground.

Another police raid was conducted at the central office of İMC TV on Oct. 4. The station was shut down as it broadcast the operation live on air. İMC TV continued to broadcast developments on Periscope after the raid.

Also on Oct. 4, police raided the offices of TV10 and Hayatın Sesi TV, which were among the stations ordered shut down by the Turkish government.

In the evening of Oct. 4, hundreds gathered outside Galatasaray Square to protest against the closure of TV stations. Journalists from İMC, Hayatın Sesi and TV10 announced that they will not quit journalism.

According to data from the Turkish Journalists Association (TGC), 2500 journalists and media organization employees have lost their jobs since the July 15 coup attempt because their organizaitons were shut down under State of Emergency decrees.

Journalists arrested under State of Emergency as part of coup investigation

JJournalists taken into custody as part of coup probe under State of Emergency
Abdullah Alparslan Akkuş, former NTV news editor, Released after being questioned by prosecutor
Arda Akın, Hürriyet reporter, released by court after objection to arrest ruling
Ayhan Şimşek, Released on probation
Bülent Mumay, former Hürriyet digital publicaitons coordinator, released after court arraignment
Dinçer Gökçe, Hürriyet internet editor, Released on probation
Hakan Bülent Yardımcı, Released on probation
Hilmi Yavuz, Zaman columnist, released due to poor health, secheduled to testify later in the investigation
İhsan Duran Dağı, Zaman columnist, Released after being questioned by prosecutor
İskender Yunus Tiryaki,Bugün reporter , Released on probation
Levent Arap, Postmedya.com site executive, Released on probation
Mehmet Gündem, former Milliyet columnist, released after arraignment
Nurullah Öztürk,former Yeni Şafak general coordinator and Zaman columnist, Released after being questioned by prosecutor
Osman Nuri Arslan, FİA finance company partner, Released on probation
Osman Nuri Öztürk, Released on probation
Ömer Şahin ,Meydan newspaper’s former Ankara bureau chief, Released after being questioned by prosecutor
Rasih Yılmaz,Samanyoluhaber columnist, Released after being questioned by prosecutor
Rıfat Söylemez, Adana Haber, Released after arraignment
Taner Talaş, Adana Yerel, Released under electronic monitoring
Yakup Sağlam, Samanyolu reporter, Released on probation
Yüksel Evsen, Adana journalist, Released on probation
Zeki Önal, Not detained due to advanced age and poor health

*Glossary of legal terms used in this textDetain / Place in custody: To hold in police custody for police interrogation first, and later for testimony to a prosecutor. Might lead to a court appearance depending on the action taken by the prosecutor. Arrest: To put into prison indefinitely – by court order – pending trial. Released on probation: Released with an international flight ban issued. Usually entails checking in regularly with a designated police station.

These lists have been compiled by P24 editors from open news sources and will be updated regularly. Journalists who want to report developments about themselves or their colleagues can contact us at punto24info@gmail.com